The Electricity Facts Label
How do I read an Electricity Facts Label?
An Electricity Facts Label, or EFL, is a plan's official price sheet. Start with the price table, and find the price closest to your usage.
Published · Updated
Average price per kWh
500 kWh
15¢
$75 bill ÷ 500 kWh
A small home or a mild month
1,000 kWh
5¢
$50 bill ÷ 1,000 kWh
The price ads usually show
2,000 kWh
10¢
$200 bill ÷ 2,000 kWh
A big home or a hot month
Illustrative, not a current offer. The plan is 15¢ per kWh with all charges included, and a $100 bill credit at 1,000 kWh or more.
Why does the label show three prices?
The label shows the average price at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kWh. Each one includes the plan's regular charges, but not taxes. Texas rules require all three, and kWh is the unit of electricity on your bill.
Each price is a month's bill divided by the kWh used. On this example plan, a 1,000 kWh month is a $50 bill, so 5¢.
But a home using 500 kWh would pay about 15¢ per kWh. The low price only fits homes that use close to 1,000 kWh.
That is because a $100 bill credit kicks in at 1,000 kWh, which pulls that one price way down.
Find the price closest to your own monthly usage, not the one in the ad.
What else is on the label?
Electricity Facts Label (EFL)
Example Energy · Sample Saver 12
Electricity price
| Average Monthly Use | 500 kWh | 1,000 kWh | 2,000 kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average price per kWh | 15.0¢ | 5.0¢ | 10.0¢ |
Includes a $100 bill credit in any month you use 1,000 kWh or more, and the local utility's delivery charges.
Disclosure Chart
| Type of Product | Fixed rate |
|---|---|
| 3Contract Term | 12 months |
| 3Do I have a termination fee or any fees associated with terminating service? | Yes, $150 |
| 4Can my price change during contract period? | No, except for changes allowed by law or regulatory action |
| 2What other fees may I be charged? | See the Terms of Service |
| Is this a pre-pay or pay in advance product? | No |
| Renewable Content | This product is 30% renewable. |
- 1Price tableAverage price per kWh at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kWh
- 2Fees and creditsWhat other fees may I be charged?
- 3Contract termDo I have a termination fee?
- 4Price changesCan my price change during contract period?
A made-up company and plan, laid out the way Texas rules require every label to be. Illustrative, not a current offer.
Want to see a real one? Every plan on Power to Choose (powertochoose.org) links to its own label.
Fees and credits. The label lists every fee the plan can charge. Look for a base charge, a bill credit or a fee for using too little.
Contract term. This is how long your price is locked in, and what it costs to leave early.
Price changes. Look for the line “Can my price change during contract period?” The answer is yes or no.
Renewable content. The label says how much of the power is renewable, next to the Texas average for comparison.
What other documents come with a plan?
When you sign up, you also get the Terms of Service and Your Rights as a Customer. Keep all three for your records.
Where do you find a plan's label?
Any provider that signs people up online must post each plan's label on its website. You should only need your ZIP code to see it.
You can also ask the provider for a copy at any time, at no charge. Power to Choose links to each listed plan's label too.
Which price is mine?
Your usage changes from month to month, so no single price on the label fits every month.
That is why we apply each plan's rules to your home, month by month. Every cost we show is an estimate, and the label is still the contract.
Find your number
Pick the price closest to your monthly usage.
Look for fees and credits
They can change your bill a lot at certain usage levels.
Cross-check it
Found a plan somewhere else? Upload its label, and we check it with the same math.
Skip the label math
Enter your usage and see which plan is likely to cost your home the least.
Find my best planArticles are general information for Texas electricity shoppers. Every cost Power Rate Check shows is an estimate, and the Electricity Facts Label is the provider's official price document — read it before you sign.